Welcome to the world of Cruising
by Vinnie Bravdica

Let’s just dive right in! At least I didn’t mention walking the plank, right?

Knowing that cruising is one of the Premier chosen vacation destinations we have. You’re about to understand why, but first let’s find out what all the buzz is really about. It’s not only about hopping onto a boat and sailing to here or there. It’s not about visiting this Island or that Island. There’s just so much more to Cruising, and we want to enlighten you to the tip of the Iceberg, pun totally intended!

Let’s start off with, by a show of hands, how many of our readers have been on a cruise in the past? We ask this question, really, because there may actually be some sort of extra perks you’ve earned if you have sailed. Especially on the specific cruise line you’re now researching a future adventure with. As with almost every mode of travel we offer, you can earn points for past adventures, and they can add up. Now you’re looking at rewards as a possibility. The more you sail with a specific vendor, the more rewards you earn. Points that can be used towards amenities, upgrades and discounts.  Understand this, if Neptune has speared you with his Triton, then you’re going to want to keep record of your points! You savings can reach into the hundreds of dollars.

Cruising is not only a fun experience, it’s also an experience, in our minds, that you’ll want to repeat often. In my personal experience, I have spent years floating around the world, visiting numerous exotic locations, touring even more cities in dozens of countries. Many, even more than once. Does that make me an experiences Cruiser? I think, perhaps not. Because I’ve met many of you that have not necessarily spent as much time sailing, but have experienced more ports, and thus more cities. Of course, that probably means more countries too. In my personal recollection, I’ve been to the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines, Guam, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Mexico, Bahamas, Florida and New York and California. Not necessarily in that order. Many of these locations, too, have been visited multiple times. As an example, I’ve been to the Hawaiian Islands at the very least, 6 times. These have all, however, been experienced on a ship.

If I were to choose a favorite, I would probably say it is a tie between the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines, Guam, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Mexico, Bahamas, Florida and New York and California, I’m pretty sure of that. When I explore, I go to each with open eyes, and try to experience in the moment. I enjoy seeing whatever I can possibly take in while there, and in each and every case, I’ve successfully had Enjoyed the Journey!

With the exception of one, I experienced every cruise in an Inside Cabin. The other, to the Bahamas, was in a Balcony Stateroom. I need to add, that the Bahamas trip would have probably been enjoyed just as much from an Inside Cabin. Barbie and I just wanted to experience the upgrade. In my opinion, it wasn’t worth it. With that being said, I’m happy to offer to my clients this level of sailing, because there is an experience of hearing the ocean, looking out into the blackness of the sea at night, and smelling the air. It is difficult to say, that is not a fun experience. I do know that when sailing the Bahamas Cruise, I was able to step on to the Balcony, and see flying fish riding the wake of our bow at 12 knots speed. Unable to photograph anything like this, it is now only memories, and difficult to explain. Sort of like the catch that got away. It is a memory, never the less. Therefor, there were benefits for the upgrade.

Our direct issue is that we spend the majority of out time experiencing what the Cruise Lines offer us a passengers. The immense amount of entertainment, that begins in the wee hours, and continues until late at night, to begin with. The Dining Rooms, either formal, specialty of buffet, keeping you from experiencing any level of hunger, whatsoever. The opportunity to enjoy beverages at your hearts desire. We tend to only drink wine, so we’re not that big on the Beverage Package. Specifically because we simply can’t drink that much wine each night. This is a subject we talk about with every booking. There’s constant activities on board during your cruise, that you’ll actually find yourself more busy trying to get to all of it, not missing a moment of F U N! That’s specifically why we like cruising! We grab the daily schedule and rush from event to event, and experience everything the cruise offers. 

Besides the F U N events that are constant on board your cruise, there’s Dining! Really, this is an understatement. Because there’s constant dining. Your snacking in the Buffet, enjoying formal meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then there’s always the late night buffet snacks. You can literally be eating about 14 hours each and every day. Gluttony isn’t one of our favorite parts of cruising, however, I can assure you that many people love this feature. They are there to “Get their money’s worth” in food alone. The cruise line is really OK with that too. We too, find ourselves indulging in the buffet area, however we find it more favorable to enjoy meals in the formal dining rooms, simply because we prefer to be waited on, because we’re spoiled!

Our Balcony room carried us to the Bahamas, actually. We loved, again, the shore experience more than the arrival and departure experiences, because they were both at times we weren’t in our room sitting out on the Balcony. Seriously, a Yeoman should blow his whistle letting us know when we arrive or depart – not the case, however. I guess it was really because we were always used to being Topside to enjoy those specific moments.

This is actually a photo of a few cruise ships tied up in Nassau. Which, was really a fun experience, to say the least. The food ashore was unbelievable, and there’s a drink worth trying, called the Goombah. A fruity cocktail that has a very potent combination of alcohol. I really didn’t look it up, but have to tell you, it’s worth checking out!

This was the first ever cruise Barbie and I took together. That’s probably why we upgraded to a Balcony. Barbie enjoyed the shopping in Nassau, really. On board, the crew had a series of meetings explaining the value of a Tanzanite stone, though rare, was common to the area. She made it a point to go to everyone of the on-board demonstrations, we got in line to do the on-shore shopping extravaganza, because with that came a chance to win a Tanzanite necklace valued at $500. A hundred or more fellow sailors attended the On-shore event, all who purchased some sort of jewelry. Barbie thought purchasing something would increase her chances of winning. We actually ended up not purchasing any of the jewelry, and you’ll never guess, but Barbie ended up winning the necklace in the end. At this point, the ship could have exploded and sunk, yet she would have been happy to have been there – because she was the lucky one!

We actually sailed on the MSC Maraviglia out of New York (Brooklyn Harbor), leaving alongside the Statue of Liberty. What a beautiful photo opportunity! First landing in Miami, a port we were already familiar with, where we ended up dining at a familiar watering hole called Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. They have all sorts of ways to enjoy shrimp, by the way. We prefer it by the bucket. Though listed as an appetizer, it’s a meal for two by itself. Especially if you add a Sgt Dan cocktail to it (or two). We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon shopping along the pier, finding a couple of souvenirs and simply had a wonderful afternoon. Though we rode a taxi to the shopping area, it was really so close that we decided to get the exercise and walk back to the ship in the later afternoon hours. Of course, the Miami weather in November was very accommodating!

MSC Cruise lines also has their very own Private Island called Ocean Cay.  Probably covering a bout 3 square miles total, you can explore it in less than one hour. We do like to walk, by the way. The Cruise ship offered an excursion of the Light House tour, and we were very interested, of course. The light house is 6 stories high, and you’ll need to walk up all 6 flights of the round staircase, stopping every couple of stories. It’s a guided tour, and along the way, you’ll learn the history of the Island, it’s inhabitants and all the attractions on land. I don’t want to spoil your surprises, in case you decide to do the same tour, but will add that, it was a reasonable fare for the adventure.

Upon finally making it to the massive beach areas, while standing in the water, making new friends, a school of rays came swimming among our legs. It was especially nice because we were only waist high in the water, about 60-70 yards off the shore. Really, they were probably more interested in the sediment we were exposing by stepping around in the water. I didn’t have my phone with me (fear of dropping it in the water), else I would provide photos for you.

There’s an inner cove area on the island that provided some very relaxing beach enjoyment with one exception. It Was Actually Pretty Warm out, so we simply waded out in the water about 60-70 yards, enjoyed chest high water (how refreshing), punch, and meeting new friends.

All things told, MSC put on a very good cruise! We were told, by numerous others, that we would likely be more disappointed by this adventure. However, with all things considered, the entertainment was top notch, the dining was exceptional and the ports were worthy of the visit. Bear in mind that we spent little time dining at the buffet, so I have little to speak of in that area. In the formal dining area, once at breakfast, I actually sat next to a fellow sailor that was from the same city as my ancestry. Though, not fluent, I was able to communicate, in Italian, with him enough so that we spent the entire breakfast time talking. I really don’t know who enjoyed that opportunity more, me or him. This was obviously an opportunity that would not have occurred in the buffet area.

We hear stories about all the cruise lines, with that in mind. Frankly, we’ve discovered that travelers are very temperamental of their likes and dislikes in every aspect of travel. As Travel Agents, we enter every adventure with our eyes wide open. Thus, we look at adventures in a different way, each and every time. Our feeling is that, perhaps, you might also. As for cost effectiveness, MSC will usually offer your pocketbook a little relief, and still provide a quality product. With that being said, if you’re shopping for a luxury adventure, perhaps there are other options, as MSC is not necessarily a premium choice. Share that information with us, so that you get what you’re looking for.

I provided this particular cruise to you, because we experienced it. We sailed from Brooklyn and back, spending a night at a hotel in both directions. Upon returning, our desire was to experience the Little Italy in New York dining. The minus of all of this was the weather. Traveling from the Caribbean to New York in November is really not favorable – as far as weather is concerned. We live in the Arizona desert, so this made it even worse (for us). We spent our last night searching for just the right Italian Restaurant. We didn’t, mainly because we were, in the end, more interested in finding a place to warm up at. Though we really did have a great time in New York too!

I welcome any comments and recommendations that you too have on this subject. Please don’t hesitate responding either!